“They amuse themselves with him, and he amuses himself,” answered Marynia, hurriedly, while turning away her face somewhat, so that Svirski might not notice her confusion.
And she answered untruly. Since Pan Stanislav had shared his views with her touching Kopovski’s relations with Pani Osnovski, she had thought of them frequently; the stay of the young man in Prytulov seemed to her suspicious more than once, and explaining it by the presence of Panna Ratkovski dishonest. This dishonesty was increased, if Panna Ratkovski had fallen in love really with Kopovski. But all those intrigues might come to the surface any moment; and Marynia thought with alarm then whether the words of Panna Ratkovski—“after what has happened here”—had not that meaning precisely. In such a case it would be a real catastrophe for that honest Pan Osnovski and for Panna Steftsia.
Really everything might be involved in a tragic manner.
“I will go to-morrow to Prytulov,” said Svirski; “I wish to visit the Osnovskis, just to show that I cherish no ill-feelings. If anything has happened there really, or if any one has fallen ill, I shall discover it and let you know. Pan Ignas is not there at this moment.”
“No. Pan Ignas is in the city. To-morrow, or after to-morrow surely, he will come here, or go to Yasmen. Stas, too, is preparing for the city to-day. Sister Aniela is ill, and we wish to bring her here. Since I cannot go, Stas is going.”
“Sister Aniela? That one whom your husband calls Pani Emilia,—a Fra Angelico face, a perfectly sainted face, a beautiful face! I saw her perhaps twice at your house. Oh, if she were not a religious!”
“She is sick, the poor thing. She can barely walk. She has disease of the spine, from overwork.”
“Oh, that is bad,” said Svirski. “You will have the professor, and that poor woman? But what kind people you are!”
“That is Stas,” replied Marynia.
At that moment Pan Stanislav appeared at the end of the walk, and approached them with a hurried step.